Daily Republican., 1887-09-28
THE AMEkIoA's CUP.
rhe First Race Is Easiiy Won BY the
voIuntecr-"A Regular Thistle Day.
Bot the Thistle 10 Badly Beaten.

The First Race is Easily Won BY the
Volunteer Regular Thistle Day"
Bot tho Thistle 10 Badly Beaten.
NEW YORK, Sept. 27.--The Scotch
cutter Thistle and the American sloop
Volunteer have met In the frst 1887
contest for the Americas cup, and the
Volunteer beat the foreigBer SO badly
that the lAtter's most enthusiastic
cham pions have only to say that some
thing inexplicable 10 the matter with
the Thistle.
1t WAS great day. Tho people who
went down on the 800 steamships, river
steam boats, tugs, steam yachts, sailing
yachts and boats provided for the occa
sion numb bered easily 20, 600, and the
scene presented by the mass of craft
before, At and after the start cannot be
described. They covered . vast area,
and they kept mp . noise throughout
the race that startled the people who
came from Europe to witness the con-
test. The incessant gun firing and
steam. waistling called forth the wild
est kind of enthusiasm, which, how.
ever, sid not interfere with the duties
Of the officials Of the race.
With fsvorite surroundings the race
would have been started ut 10 80 Q. M,
but ut that hour there was not air
enough to blow Q match out, and the
judges, on Commodore Gerry's Electra,
waited to start the racers until there
should appear q chan ce Of getting the
boats over the course within the pre-
scribed seven houre. That appearance
did not come until noon. At that time
. ripple came over the water from tnt
south ward and eastward, and the sigma
was given to clear the course.
THE START.
At IL. 20 the Electra hred ths prepar
atory gun, and as IL 80 the gun to START
After the latter the yachts had five
minutes TO cross the line. II either had
taken longer than the fve minutes, her
time OF start would have been register
ed as the expiration of the Eve min u ses
The boats crossed "a follows: Thistle,
1a 80 &C; Volunteer, IL 34.53 The This
sle not only had the nearer position
when the order to start was given, bu
she also went through the water tht
faster. 30 she got over the line one
minute 90 seconds ahead.
THE THISTLE oUTsAILED.
The eight miles M hour wind wa
then from south-sou .hsast, and tn
, Achts had to sail close on the wind 10
the first mark, buoy 10, on the south
west spit, which bore south by Yves
three and . half miles away. Tn
yachts went over on the port tack, an
at once the Volunteer began to overhau
the Thistle. The hrst tace was In tC
ward Clifton, staten Island, Aad o
that tack Of fifteen minutes or less tn
Volunteer showed O superiority owe
the Thistle In weather that had bee
written down as the foreigners bee
= That left no doubt Of the result.
The Volunteer went by the Thist
q ss though tbe latter was anchored, nn'
= she stayed In front to the end. Tt
q Thistle Was more than q little bothsre
by the excursion boats on that fri
tack. The steamers crossed her bow
and gave her much swash, but aft
that the steamers hung to the Volur
teer-the leAdsr-and throughout Il
!. rest OF the day she suffered three tim
= at least as much rs the Thistle did fro
u the way they kicked uplhe water On
shut off ,he wind.
. The fret point, Buoy 10, was reaoht
q = on o beat. Buoy 81 was 'etched on
u "trip, as WAS the Sandy Hook l'ghtshi
y = the outer mark. From l!ghtsAip bal
~ to Buoy 10 wss beam wind, and fro
si there home to Buoy 15. off Fort Wad
e' worth, 1t was clean run before 7
wind with spinakers set. Total d
/. tence hirty.eight statute miles. Ever
a. where, except on the run with spin
~ kerr, where the excursion boats did
3 much TO keep the wind from her, t
Volunteer outsAiled her antagon tst.
further description OF the racs won
~ kA No.